The present invention relates to image communications systems, and more particularly to a document header sheet for such systems.
Image communications systems are in general quite well known and are in common use. One form of such systems in common commercial use is often referred to as a facsimile system. In such systems, the original document at a sending station is scanned by a transducer to convert the optical or visual image of the document into a train of electrical signals. These electrical signals are transmitted to a receiving station by a telephone line, radio or satellite communication link. At the receiving station, the train of electrical signals are converted into an optical or visual image presentation of the original document.
The present invention relates to a header sheet for documents to be transmitted by an automatic image communication system. It is contemplated that a plurality of documents will be stacked in a document tray for automatic image transmission. Each document will consist of one or more pages, and each document will have as its lead or cover sheet, a header sheet of the present invention. The basic mode of operation of the system provides for automatic feed of each page from the tray in sequence. Each page is delivered to a scanner where its optical or visual contents is scanned and converted by a transducer to an electrical train of data signals representative of the contents of the page. The electrical representation is processed to compress the data, and the data may then be stored. When a communication link is established between the transmitting and intended receiving station, the compressed data is transmitted, and when received it may again be stored and ultimately expanded to its original form and applied to a transducer for conversion to a visual or optical presentation of the original document page.
In the foregoing type of system, a large number of documents may be placed in the receiving tray at one time, and these may all be processed into sending storage. The system is designed to establish a communications link automatically between the sending station and the intended receiving station for each document, and when that link is established for a particular document, that document is then transmitted.
The purpose of the header sheet is to identify for the system, first, the fact that a new document is beginning, second, the identity of the sender or sending station (e.g. for billing purposes), and third, the identity of the intended recipient or receiving station. The foregoing information is presented by data representation for processing by the system. In addition, the header sheet may be used for visual presentation of the sender and addressee that will be transmitted with the document information for reconversion and visual presentation at the receiving station. In order for the header sheet to accomplish the foregoing purposes, it must include identifying means that designates to the system the fact that the sheet is in fact a header sheet. The header sheet must include further identifying means that designate to the system that the header sheet is properly oriented in order that the addressee and sender data will be properly interpreted by the system, and that the data face of the sheet is facing the scanning transducer.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a header sheet for an automatic image communication system.
Another object of the invention is to provide a header sheet for an automatic image communication system presenting data to identify the sender and the addressee station.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a header sheet for an automatic image communication system presenting data to identify that it is a header sheet.
And still another object of the present invention is to provide a header sheet for an automatic image communication system presenting indicia to identify to the system that it is properly oriented for correct interpretation of the data thereon.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of one embodiment of the invention, which is presented as illustrative and to facilitate a complete understanding of the invention.